Chapter 39:

Hinata lifted her gaze to the late afternoon sky just starting to acquire its darker shades of blue and orange. Sunset was approaching and the kitsune were becoming active. The young emerged from the trees and poked at Himawari, wanting to play. Even now, Hinata and her daughter were not allowed to know where the fox den was located, sleeping under the trees instead and with supervision. She knew this wasn't having anything to do with trust and accepted the arrangement.

"Offerings will be soon," said a female kitsune, standing nearby. "Will you trek down the mountain to scavenge or shall we bring it to you?"

Hinata simply said, "Whatever's easier for you." She didn't want to cause them any trouble.

The female came closer and nuzzled Hinata's face with hers. "You worry about your mate. I understand."

Hinata didn't say anything, looking down sadly.

"I did not trust Naruto when we first met but he grew on me. He did with all of us," she explained. "Once I realized he wasn't about to do us harm, I gave him my trust. And to this day, it is not something I regret."

Hinata smiled. "He has a way of touching people and making these connections. I think I sensed that even back then before he became… Well, before everyone saw him the way I always did."

A small fox approached the female. "Mama, hungry."

"Soon. Play now." She watched the small fox trot off to be with the others its size.

The sun was dipping lower in the sky, but Hinata hardly noticed. She hardly did anything since coming to the mountain other than worry. The kitsune offered to show her how to live as a fox but she didn't want to trouble them and remained in one spot, watching Himawari play. Honestly, it wasn't just because she didn't want to bother them. It was because she felt listless not knowing Naruto's condition. She was worried about him, her son and the Leaf Village. She wondered how Shikamaru was handling things. She wondered if anyone learned the truth, that the Hokage was missing. There was no way they could keep a secret that big for long. Perhaps they already knew. Perhaps they were thinking of finding a replacement.

"Mama, hungry."

"Soon. Soon."

Hinata looked up and watched the little fox wander off. The female sat in front of her and poked her face with her nose.

"I'm sorry," Hinata apologized automatically. "Sorry for troubling you like this."

"It is no trouble. There is much to eat and the weather has been fair." She came closer. "I think you'll find doing more than nothing will help."

"Because it's a distraction…"

"That and because work needs to get done. As much as I worried in the past when our future was uncertain, life does not stop. You do not have to take things on alone and there is no shame in asking for help. As a mother, being an example is often better than the things you say."

Hinata looked over at Himawari who occasionally looked her way to check on her mother before going back to the game the kitsune were playing. Hinata knew she did this and would smile to assure her everything was alright, but judging by how frequently she looked back, she probably wasn't convinced.

"You're right," said Hinata. "I'm probably making her worry by just sitting here watching. But having you teach me how to be a fox… I thought I would burden you with that."

"That it would be a waste of time? Nonsense. It comes naturally to us so whatever we show you would be things we'd be doing anyway. Besides, if it's anything like watching those two humans from a few moons ago, it'll be entertaining."

Hinata giggled. "I heard about Shikamaru and Sai. I think I'd like to have seen that."

"Well," said the female, rising, "let's not let them have all the fun. You've already mastered walking. Want to try your hand at something a little more vigorous?"

"Not paw? You said 'hand' instead of 'paw.'"

"I know. I can turn into a human if I wish. The saying is not lost on me." She smiled at Hinata.

The little fox showed up again. "Mama."

"Yes, soon. We will eat soon."

"No," said the little fox. "Mama, look."

The kitsune all looked as something came racing their way in the distance. It was an orange blur and gradually took shape as it sped towards the mountain. It disappeared for a moment before suddenly bursting from the trees and skidding to a halt among the group.

"Ryosuke, you're back." The kitsune began to gather around.

The largest kitsune looked around at the congregating foxes, his eyes finally stopping to rest on Hinata. Sensing this had something to do with her, she stepped forward.

"The creatures crossing into our world," he said, "has stopped."

The kitsune began to murmur.

"The portals are no longer opening at random. I've just sent the last of the creatures back to their world."

The kitsune exchanged joyful yips and nuzzles. Tails swished and the smallest of the kitsune jumped and ran in excited circles. Those with three tails asked Ryosuke if he knew what this meant or if he knew what had caused this to take place.

"It has been resolved but not by me. Things in the spirit realm are beginning to return to normal though it is not yet as it was."

"The portals were mended?" asked one of the kitsune. "You said you didn't know what was causing it and now it's been repaired. How?"

Hinata stepped forward. "Boruto and his friends."

Ryosuke turned to her. "I suspect so."

She didn't know how but it seemed Boruto had a hand in this. The situation was improving which filled her with hope and pride. Still unaware of what he was having to endure in that moment or where exactly he was, Hinata was still worried.

She prayed he was alright, wherever he was.

It was far from easy trying to convince a spirit like Naoya to surrender Naruto, a human, from his clutches. The conversation was long and difficult and Boruto wasn't sure they could convince someone as stubborn as Naoya to return Naruto to the human world without doing him further harm. It was a hassle to try to explain what a Tailed Beast was and they still weren't certain Naoya understood the difference.

Naoya listened but refused to do as they wished.

Stilling sitting in the palm of Naoya's clawed hand, Boruto tried again to convince him, knowing that if he said the wrong thing, Naoya could easily crush him.

This world was a haven for those who were fed up with humans and their twisted ways. That was how Naoya saw the spirit realm. A refuge from all the horribleness humans thrust upon them. Slavery, entertainment, weapons, scapegoats. Here, they were free from that. Humans were to blame for their misgivings and their suffering.

In light of all this, Naoya was under no obligation to help them. Honestly, Boruto couldn't blame him.

"I get it," Boruto told him. "Humans wronged you in the past. But not everyone's like that. People have changed. Humans like my dad and Akio learned from the past and are trying not to repeat it. They're good people and there are creatures who trust them. Even befriended them. They help each other and care about each other. And Akio never once claimed to have kitsune as his servants. He's not like that guy you had to deal with. Totally different, you know."

Naoya looked down his long snout at Boruto. "Can you guarantee every human will be like those you described. That these days, no human would seek to take advantage of us? To use us for personal gain. To threaten another human with us or to obtain us. To do harm to another if we are the prize."

Boruto closed his mouth, knowing he couldn't promise such a thing. Kai was guilty of just that and saw him earlier that day, proving that not every human wouldn't try such a thing in the present.

How many others just wanted to see the kitsune out of a sense of wonder like the prince and how many wanted to use them like Kai? The people who heard the stories either ignored them, found them amusing or took them seriously. Those who took them seriously would do one of two things. How were they to separate which ones could be trusted? How were they to keep it from escalating?

"But if you prevent anything from happening, then nothing will happen," said Boruto. "If you close yourself off from everyone in order to keep yourself safe from bullies, how will you ever make friends?"

"Friendship with humans is unimportant. If we cannot tell which will seek to do us harm, it is best to isolate ourselves to prevent such a thing from ever happening."

"But you can also benefit from humans. And what about all those creatures who want to be with them? You can't take that choice away from them."

"That is why we split in two," said Naoya. "Those who wished to stay were free to do so and those of us with more power chose to remain here where our power could not be used for wickedness."

"Makes sense to do it that way," said Mitsuki. "Your power falling into the wrong hands would be devastating for both parties. I can see why powerful creatures such as yourself chose to live here permanently while some of the weaker ones were allowed to stay in the human world. If someone discovered them, they wouldn't gain that much power. The creatures themselves could easily elude humans as well, such as turning invisible or passing themselves off as regular animals."

Mitsuki's commented didn't help endear Naoya to their cause any more than Boruto's argument.

"But those creatures were still given a choice," he went on. "You seemed to understand that not every creature could live here long-term and some had special duties only they could attend to in the human world."

Naoya fixed his gaze upon Mitsuki and Boruto held his breath, hoping Mitsuki wasn't about to unintentionally enrage or insult Naoya. Not just because it could set them back in the argument, but because Naoya might take a swipe at Mitsuki in anger.

"Regardless of whether or not Naruto is a Tailed Beast or a kitsune, by taking him here and keeping him in this world, you took the choice away from him."

Naoya didn't react at first. After a moment, his gaze drifted downward, as if reconsidering his well-intended actions.

"What if the creature sharing Naruto's body wants to stay in the human world? What if it likes the arrangement? No harm is being brought to either party, so I don't think this is something you can take upon yourself. It would be different if one of them asked for help or if you saw them being hurt in some way, but that's not happening here. So maybe this is one of those times where you have to respect the person's decision."

Mitsuki looked at Boruto for approval, hoping he had said the right thing while also hoping he understood it correctly himself. A lot of things were still strange and new to him but he believed he was starting to get it.

Boruto let out the breath he had been holding and smiled down at Mitsuki.

"And if the creature cannot speak for itself?" Naoya asked. "I can take action if they have been rendered silent."

"I don't think that's the case," said Sarada, who had chosen to remain quiet for a long time, thinking it was best not to say anything that might make matters worse.

"The Tailed Beast has been in Naruto since birth," explained Neji. "This is not a case of a spirit unknowingly leaving this realm and taking harbor in the human world. They've always been together."

"Yeah, so it's not the same. It's not a confused spirit," said Boruto. "And if kitsune can live in the human world no problem, then there's no reason the kitsune couldn't leave anytime it wanted. If it were a kitsune, but it's a Tailed Beast, so..."

"Seems everything is being done by choice and no one's being hurt…"

Naoya snarled, shooting heat from his nostrils. Everyone stopped to look at him. They wondered if he felt they were gaining up on him. Boruto knew no one liked being pressured but they were running out of time to save Naruto. He couldn't stay here much longer and they couldn't wait for Naoya to think it over before deciding.

"Please," Boruto said to Naoya. "He's my dad. Our family and the village needs him."

Naoya didn't respond.

In the palm of Naoya's hand, Boruto got on his hands and knees but did not bow his head. "Please, Naoya. Please, give him back. We need to take him home."

Still, he didn't answer.

What could he say? What could he do? How could he convince this creature who thought so little of humans that they deserved to have their wish fulfilled? That they weren't all bad? He couldn't promise that there were no spiteful, cruel humans in their world, but it seemed Naoya wouldn't relinquish Naruto if there weren't.

Boruto stared at the snout hovering in front of him, the sharp teeth protruding from Naoya's scaly muzzle.

"Can you guarantee there are no cruel creatures in this or our world?"

Naoya stared at him.

Boruto looked him in the eye. "I heard that cruel creatures stayed in the human world to torment us, so some good spirits decided to stay and protect us from them. Did every bad creature choose to stay in our world or was it split, like the ones who stayed in this world?"

Naoya hissed thoughtfully.

"There are good and bad people everywhere, even here. You can't put the blame all on humans when creatures are just as guilty."

Naoya's hiss turned angry.

"I'm not trying to offend you. I'm just saying that there's a mix. And if you only hate humans because you think they're cruel, well… Well, you can't hate humans without also hating yourselves."

Boruto lost his balance as Naoya brought his hand closer to his face to look at Boruto, his claws curling dangerously like a Venus flytrap. He braced himself on Naoya's palm, seeing Naoya's large orange eye narrow threateningly.

"I'm… I'm just saying…"

"You believe us to be cruel?"

"Not all of you," Boruto defended. "There are really great ones I admire. I'm just saying that no world is perfect. That there can be good and bad humans the same way there are good and bad creatures. I'm just saying that…"

"Boruto, shut up," Sarada called from below. She knew he was making it worse.

"Can you promise me that there are no bad creatures in this world? That none of them want to harm humans unprovoked? That none of them try to do harm to their own kind?"

Naoya huffed. Then his eyes looked elsewhere, knowing he could not.

"It's not fair to ask me that and expect me to answer without asking the same thing to you."

Naoya lowered Boruto slightly. "You are right in that. Though it only proves my point about humans, since you cannot promise their consistency."

"Some humans are scared. Some don't understand because no one explained it to them. And some had good intentions but messed up." Boruto looked at Naoya's palm. "When I saw you take my dad, I was angry. I thought you were a bad guy and that I needed to fight you to rescue him. But now I get that you were just trying to do the right thing and help but you… Your actions didn't translate that way, you know. I had it wrong. But you're mistaken, too."

Naoya didn't take his eyes off Boruto. He didn't look apologetic, just curious.

Boruto didn't know what else he could say that hadn't already been said. He didn't know how he was going to convince Naoya to return Naruto. Whatever he said might come out wrong and they would never get Naruto back.

He lowered his head, unable to think of anything.

What could he do?

Naoya helped humans in the past but one human ruined it. It was that simple to sever the trust between humans and spirits. Naoya might never trust another human again. Never listen to them. He even changed his name, distancing himself even further from humans and past regrets. He didn't want to be the fool who believed in humanity, but Boruto needed him to be. This overcorrection didn't help anyone.

Boruto looked at the scaly hand supporting him and knew what to ask.

"Why did you choose to help humans in the past?"

Naoya didn't answer.

Boruto lifted his head and asked again. "You came to the human world to help humans. Why?"

"My friend asked me to."

"And why did your friend want to help?"

Naoya answered simply, "They believed in them."

Naoya's friend took pity on the humans and wanted to help, knowing they had the power to do it. They were fascinated by the resilience of human kind. How humans could pick themselves up if they only had hope. How, given the chance, they could do great things. Naoya believed humans would either use wood to build a house or a catapult. His friend always believed humans would build the house first.

When they saw the humans suffering, it was his friend who urged him to come to the human world to help them. They just needed enough to get back on their feet and they could offer them the material they could use to do just that. He was reluctant but went along with his friend's encouragement. It felt good to see the joy and admiration on the humans' faces. Then, he could only see the greed in that human's eyes and nothing else. How, even with their strength, his friend was worked ragged and grew conflicted. How they looked taken aback when receiving new orders and the confusion and shock in their eyes when tasked with the same work again. They should have left long ago but stayed because they had given their word, something that seemed to mean so little to humans.

They were shamed upon their return, ridiculed for their charity at the expense of their own labors. "Why weren't you there?" was all they kept hearing after learning what happened during their absence. They were blamed for the damage and Naoya blamed the humans. His friend did not. Not all of them. They insisted that the other humans were not to blame because they were only ordered around by the leader. He was the one at fault. But, as the leader, he represented the village, so Naoya decided that every human was to share in the blame.

He never wanted to go through that again but his friend was willing to give humans another chance at great discretion. Unwilling to get involved and fearing his friend would persuade him into a similar fix, Naoya and his friend went their separate ways. Naoya went to a place where no one would know of his past and chastise him for something beyond his control. To be certain, he changed his name so he would be a whole new creature, even to himself.

"You must have believed in humans, too. Didn't you?" Boruto asked him.

Naoya's opinion of humans had always been on the fence. He knew they were capable of good and bad. Being on the receiving end of the worst of human kind soured him and after the anger and ridicule from his own kind, Naoya's opinion had leaned to one side and came to despise them.

"If it hadn't been for humans, we…"

"I wasn't there, but it sounds like you have every right to be angry. I understand why you blame them," said Boruto. "But none of us were born yet. Why punish us? If there are good and bad humans, why lump them all together and punish even the innocent? You just met the wrong humans."

Boruto flattened his hands to Naoya's palm, trying to communicate a comforting gesture to him the only way he could.

"I can't promise that every single human is going to be admirable, but I can promise that my dad would never do what that human did to you. I can promise you that."

Naoya turned his head to give Boruto a sideward glance. "You promise your father to be a virtuous human?"

Boruto thought a moment. "I mean, he's not perfect. But he is virtuous, yeah. I guess."

"He's never angered anyone?"

Boruto thought of all the times he skipped out on spending quality time with them to work and how angry he got, especially when he missed Himawari's birthday. He was actually more upset than his sister. He remembered all the times he yelled at his father or punched him or hid from him out of spite.

He also thought of his father trying to make it up to them. How he worked even harder in order to leave work early to be with them only to end up falling asleep as soon as he sat down, exhausted. How he spent the whole day with Himawari, scouring the entire village for the toy she wanted. How the village honored him for his good work. How the people of the Leaf listened to him and depended on him. They trusted and loved him. How Naruto told Boruto time and again that he was doing this so that they could have good lives in addition to everyone in the village. As much as he wanted to spend time with them, he was responsible for other people, too, and couldn't neglect them.

Dinner together, looking at photo albums together, going shopping. When his father patted him on the head or fist-bumped him with pride in his eyes.

Boruto's fingers dragged across Naoya's scaly palm as he curled his hands into fists, still on all fours.

"My dad's not perfect, but he tries his best. He messes up but always tries to make it up to you. He tries to do better. He cares about others more than himself. I know he does. And… and… I need my dad."

As soon as he said this, he felt the tears return.

"The village needs him and my mom and my sister need him. And I need him, too. Please, please, give back my dad." Boruto lowered his head, bowing to the spirit Naoya. "Please, Naoya. Please give my dad back. Let him come home."

Naoya watched Boruto for a while before looking down himself. "This one human means this much to you? To so many humans?"

"Humans and spirits. The kitsune care about him and consider him one of them. The leader of the kitsune sent us here to look for him while he helped the confused spirits find their way back."

"Naruto's vouched for the kitsune, too, when people thought they might be bad spirits," said Sarada. "He tried to educate people on how they're not dangerous and how humans shouldn't hurt them. He wants to protect the kitsune. He's even fought for them. He saved a bunch of them in the past."

"Naruto cares about everyone. Even those who aren't human," said Mitsuki. "He tries to make things better for them."

"He isn't perfect, like I said, but he tries to do better and wants to help people," said Boruto. "He's a good human, despite his flaws. He would never take advantage of your kind or try to hurt you. That I can promise, without a doubt."

Naoya looked at the assembled humans without a word.

None of them would be here if it weren't for the human. To be accepted as an honorary kitsune was no minor feat. To send humans into this realm to search for him when others might have given up or not have bothered.

They were putting themselves at risk for this one human. Neji had even died to protect him and here he was, still looking out for him and these children.

These were the humans his friend always believed in. How they wanted Naoya to see them.

Naoya lowered Boruto to the ground. As he stepped off, Naoya withdrew his hand and tucked it under his body for balance, lifting his other hand to grab something from his left.

He pulled his hand forward, closed around something, and held it between himself and the humans. "I will put my faith in humans again. Don't make me regret this." He opened his fist to reveal a ball of shadow and floating in its center was Naruto.

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